The Protector
by Demon of Shadows
Summary: A kid who grew up on the streets, who never thought he'd amount to anything, has just become the newest protector of the Medabot Corporation. I apoligize for accidentally uploading this in the Zoids column before.


(Disclaimer: I do not own Medabots, bla bla bla. I DO own Juggernaut and  
  
Kizo Kinomoto.)  
  
A small, ragged-looking form huddled in a dirty alley outside of a  
  
liquor store. Muffled sobs were heard from it as it rocked back and forth.  
  
The form slowly uncurled to reveal a small boy about 10 years old. He wore  
  
severely worn sandals, torn and dirty jeans, and a shirt with more holes that  
  
Swiss Cheese. His face had pink blotches around the eyes because he had  
  
been crying a lot over the past hour. He stood up and shuffled out of the  
  
alley and down to the soup kitchen for some dinner. He politely took a bowl  
  
of soup from the chef, thanked him, and took a seat at his usual table. He  
  
listened to the small, battered TV bolted to the ceiling, which was tuned to  
  
the news channel. "And in local news, there is a new city champion, Ikki  
  
Tenryo. He defeated the former champion, Coji, after a rematch. He says he  
  
owes it all to his friends and to his Medabot, Metabee." The picture changed  
  
from the Announcer to a video of the battle. "Seen it." The boy muttered, for  
  
the video was always showing in the 24-Hour store. He himself had been  
  
there many a time to look at the Medabot parts, and also to help the clerk,  
  
Henry, clean up. At that time, a deliveryman walked through the front doors  
  
into the soup kitchen, gazing at a clipboard. "Is there a…umm…" the  
  
deliveryman said, checking his clipboard. "Kizo Kinomoto here?" he  
  
finished. The boy warily raised his hand, for his name was Kizo Kinomoto.  
  
The deliveryman walked over to him and gave him a thin envelope and said,  
  
"Sign here please." He held out his clipboard. Kizo quickly signed his name  
  
before ripping open his envelope. It contained a single sheet of paper that  
  
said "Go Outside into the Alley." There was no signature. Confused, Kizo  
  
stuffed the paper back into its envelope and slipped it into his pocket. He  
  
finished his soup quickly and ran outside into the alley, it was empty except  
  
for the various garbage cans. [Must have been a cruel joke.] Kizo thought as  
  
he walked through the alley to the other side, until he heard the voice. "Hello  
  
Kizo." A sinister voice said. Kizo spun around, but nobody was there. "Up  
  
here!" the voice said next, sounding a little exasperated. Kizo looked up to  
  
see the Phantom Renegade lounging on the fire escape. The Phantom  
  
dropped softly from the fire escape, landing a few feet away. "Please come  
  
with me, Kizo." The Phantom said, gliding towards the street. He reached  
  
beneath his cape to withdraw a small cell phone. He dialed a number from  
  
memory and spoke softly into the microphone. A couple minutes later, a  
  
long black limousine pulled up to the entrance to the alley. The driver got  
  
out and opened the right, rear door for them. The Phantom slid into the  
  
backseat, beckoning for Kizo to enter as well. Kizo hesitantly sat down in  
  
the back of the limousine. The driver shut the door and jogged around the  
  
back to get in the driver's seat, and moments later they were moving. The  
  
interior lights snapped on, revealing a full-length curtain about two feet in  
  
front of them. A voice came from behind the curtain. It said, "Can the boy  
  
be trusted?" The Phantom nodded, and almost instantly the curtain parted,  
  
revealing an old-looking man in a white labcoat, jeans, black shoes, and one-  
  
piece black sunglasses. He was bald on top of his head, but with shaggy  
  
white hair around the sides. "My name is Dr. Akki. I am the-" the old man  
  
said, but was interrupted as Kizo blurted out, "You're the head of Medabot  
  
Corporation!" "Yes…that I am. Did Henry here tell you why you are here?"  
  
Dr. Akki said. "Henry? That would mean he's the Phantom Renegade." Kizo  
  
said jokingly, turning to look at the Phantom. "No joke." The Phantom said  
  
as he removed his mask, revealing Henry's face beneath. "How do you make  
  
your voice change like that?" Kizo wanted to know. Henry tried to say  
  
something, but only a little squeak came out. He took a cup of herbal tea that  
  
Dr. Akki offered him and drank it down. "VERY good vocal control." Henry  
  
said after he finished. "We're here, Dr. Akki." The driver called into the  
  
backseat. "Good. Driver?" Dr. Akki said with a wide smile, his teeth glinting  
  
in the low light. Almost immediately the left rear door opened. Henry  
  
climbed out first, then Dr. Akki, then Kizo. They emerged in a pitch-black  
  
room, with only a glowing circle on the floor. "Kizo, please go into the  
  
center of the glowing circle and spread your legs and raise your arms." Dr.  
  
Akki instructed. Puzzled, Kizo stepped into the glowing circle and spread his  
  
legs and raised his arms. Instantly several gloved hands probed his body,  
  
finishing in roughly thirty seconds. Then several silver wands, each attached  
  
to a black box, swept over his body. "He's all clean, Dr. Akki." A gruff  
  
voice said from Kizo's left. "Good, that will be all." Dr. Akki said from  
  
behind Kizo. Kizo heard a brief grunt and the sound of many running feet.  
  
He heard the squeak of a door opening and the slam of it shutting. "Com'n  
  
Kizo." Kizo felt a gentle hand on each of his shoulders, guiding him  
  
forward. "This will be a little bright." Dr. Akki said, and an automatic door  
  
slid open in front of Kizo. Blinding white light flooded over Kizo as the  
  
hands guided him into the light. The last thing he felt was a stinging  
  
sensation in his right upper arm, before he blacked out.  
  
* * *  
  
"Ahh!" Kizo yelled, his arms groped blindly to attack whoever it was  
  
that knocked him out, but his hands found only air. "Huh?" Kizo said,  
  
lowering his hands. That's the first thing he noticed, before his hands and  
  
arms had been streaked with dirt and grime from living on the streets, but  
  
they were clean now. His clothes felt stiff, like cardboard. He looked down  
  
at his clothes. An oversize sweater and khakis had replaced his ratty T- shirt  
  
and jeans. His new sneakers were so white he was blinding himself. He  
  
swung himself onto the floor and looked around. The room he was in was  
  
small, about 20 feet square, and it looked like it belonged in a hospital. Kizo  
  
walked over to the door and tried the handle, finding it was locked. He  
  
rapped on the door and with a click he heard the door opening. He had  
  
expected Dr. Akki, but instead there was a smiling, secretary-type lady  
  
standing in the door. "Hi, my name is Miss Caviar. Dr. Akki wanted me to  
  
bring you to his lab once you woke up. Well, you're up so lets go!" Miss  
  
Caviar said. She turned on her heel and walked out and down the hall. Kizo  
  
followed quickly, and within a couple of minutes they reached Dr. Akki's  
  
lab, a big steel door with a keypad beside it. Miss Caviar typed in the code  
  
as if Kizo wasn't even there, he memorized which buttons she used and in  
  
what order, just in case he might need it later. He stepped inside and stood  
  
stock-still, he couldn't believe what was before his eyes. It was a bare,  
  
squeaky-clean white room. As Kizo watched, a shadowed form rose up from  
  
a hole in the floor. It was a Medabot, but it was unlike any other Medabot he  
  
had ever seen. Besides looking like a living tank, it was at least 5 feet tall,  
  
taller than your average Medabot. Instead the customary legs, it had a pair of  
  
tank treads attached to a pair of hydraulic systems. Its body was constructed  
  
of silver-colored titanium. One of its thick, powerful arms (the left one)  
  
ended in a massive titanium fist, from which projected a Laser Cannon. Its  
  
other arm (the right one) ended in a black Minigun. Its head resembled a  
  
wedge with rounded off corners. Kizo stood in awe as the Medabot  
  
proceeded to lift a massive 750-pound engine block with its fist, then toss it  
  
high into the air. It aimed the cannon at the falling engine block and fired.  
  
The cannon fired a burst of bullets and the engine block disintegrated into  
  
shards of metal, clattering noisily to the floor. "Very good. VERY good."  
  
Dr. Akki said. He walked from behind a protective shield on the other side  
  
of the room, followed by a pair of technicians. One of them had a Meda-  
  
com; the other was busy scribbling in a notebook. "Rounds expended?" Dr.  
  
Akki directed this question to the Medabot.  
  
1 Stats  
  
1.1 Name: Juggernaut  
  
Medafighter: Undetermined  
  
Special Weapon: Armor Piercing Minigun  
  
  
  
"33." Juggernaut answered. "Excuse me, Dr. Akki? I brought Kizo  
  
like you asked." Ms. Caviar said. "Good, very good. Its good for Kizo to see  
  
the capabilities of his new Medabot." Dr. Akki said with a bright smile.  
  
"Scuse' me, MY Medabot?" Kizo said in surprise. "Yes Kizo, you have been  
  
selected to fight alongside Juggernaut, our newest Medabot. Because of his  
  
capabilities, he will not be mass-manufactured. He was made to protect, to  
  
protect Medabot Corporation from the Rubberrobo Gang and other, more  
  
notorious Medabot gangs. You have been selected to fight with him because  
  
you show a devotion to Medabots. Now, Sam?" Dr. Akki said the last few  
  
words to the scientist with the Meda-com. Sam removed the Meda-com and  
  
handed it to Kizo, who put it on. All of the sudden, alarms began to wail.  
  
"Sir! Rubberrobo Gang as attacked the building!" A guard yelled. "Looks  
  
like this is a proper field test for you, Juggernaut." Kizo said proudly to his  
  
new Medabot. "Yes sir." Juggernaut responded, and the two of them raced  
  
out of the room, following the sounds of battle.  
  
(To be Continued) 


End file.
